The Dragon Lord's Aide Wants to Quit [BL] Chapter 396: Drawing Them Out

"Would it really be okay like that?" Lady Cirila inquired, her voice still laced with a trace of doubt.

Riley offered a nod, though his expression remained contemplative.

"I’m hoping so, Mom. It’s not the most ideal situation, but if we don’t give the appearance of hiding them, we can stifle a lot of rumors before they even begin to spread."

It wasn’t the perfect solution.

However, it was superior to allowing rampant speculation.

Furthermore, with guests expected, the children would at least have diversions, granting the adults crucial time to address other pressing matters.

Such as the red dragon.

Frankly, an obvious problem would have been preferable, because managing a rampaging red dragon who had assaulted the MBE and terrified numerous individuals demanded considerable tact.

From ensuring his survival to navigating the various factions eager to eliminate him using this incident as a pretext, Riley could already foresee an avalanche of complications.

Not to mention, framing the narrative in a particular way would inevitably place accountability on either Kael or Lord Karion.

It mattered little that the entire affair had been orchestrated by the now-deceased Chancellor. Ultimately, people would still lament the Dravaryn’s failure to uncover Malrik’s illicit activities.

Thus, unless they could implicate everyone involved in the scandal, this situation was destined to precipitate significant trouble and an immense headache.

And while letting it rest might have been the simpler path, that simply wasn't an option for them. Not when they harbored a few intriguing theories pertaining to the children.

Oh, and yes, as mortifying as it was, that was partly why it was best for the youngsters to remain secluded until they had a clearer grasp of the unfolding situation.

Only until then, mind you. Because truly, they had no intention of concealing any discoveries they made. Not when the children deserved to be privy to information that could potentially impact them.

But this was not a matter that could be rushed, either.

Every single detail necessitated meticulous handling.

After all, this transcended a singular event. Everyone connected to it would ultimately represent Riley’s month-long endeavor to unravel multiple conspiracies.

"Mom," the black dragon murmured after a pause, his voice softer, "the captured red dragon… is there genuinely a possibility it’s him?"

Lady Cirila paused, her own concern mirroring his.

"Ah… that," she responded deliberately. "Karion and Kael are currently investigating it."

She let out a light sigh before continuing.

"But personally? I believe so."

Riley tilted his head slightly. "Truly? Did he seem familiar to you?"

"Not precisely," she confessed. "We haven’t had as much interaction as I would have preferred."

Her hand rose, stroking her arm as her gaze shifted away, her thoughts clearly adrift.

"But it would elucidate many matters."

A brief silence ensued before she spoke again.

"Based on the accounts of his employees earlier… I can comprehend why someone endeavoring to safeguard his family might simply vanish. If anything, he—well, we—were all merely unfortunate casualties of something far more malevolent."

"So, if our hypothesis is correct," she added, "then that is actually favorable news."

Another pause.

"I simply do not know how we shall inform Orien."

That presented the core difficulty.

They could not disclose anything at this juncture.

Not without definitive proof.

Revealing such profound news without certainty would inflict more harm than good, especially considering all the child had already endured.

Riley contemplated the predicament but deemed it not entirely insurmountable.

"Mom, I believe Orien will be capable of handling it if we are indeed correct."

While the little duckling could be capricious at times, during Riley’s acceptance of even more family members, it was that very child who offered a different perspective.

They might bicker, and Orien might even throw an epic tantrum at some point, but a child like that would eventually come to understand.

"The true challenge," he continued, "lies in ensuring we can keep that dragon alive until then."

"Keep the dragon?" she repeated, a touch of confusion in her voice.

Riley nodded.

"Yes, Mom. Because, coincidentally, one of the most straightforward methods to verify our suspicions happens to be rather perilous for that individual."

"Pardon me, what?"

"Those dragons who dared perpetrate such an act?" Riley stated, his tone unwavering. "If anyone else was involved in his disappearance, then the moment they realize Kael has no intention of executing him, they will undoubtedly surface."

He did not hesitate.

Moreover, the notion that another party might be pursuing that red dragon was not mere conjecture. From the information they had gathered, the red dragons had not even bothered searching for Orien’s father following his vanishing.

Naturally, most dragons favored tranquil isolation, but even they took pride in the prowess of their respective clans.

Their mutual animosity was clear, yet most clans would invariably strive to find their own kin, if only to consolidate their strength and influence.

This was unlike the Dravaryn clan, who possessed ample firepower and thus didn't require additional numbers to bolster their might.

Despite this, the dragons of that particular clan hadn't even bothered initiating a search.

The dragons' approach was perhaps too unrefined. Had humans possessed the ability to withstand dragon fear to some degree, a touch of cunning might have allowed them to manipulate these creatures. However, dragons likely saw no need for subtlety when sheer power was readily available.

Ah, but this very mindset might have been how someone like Malrik managed to evade detection for so long.

Riley couldn't help but roll his eyes at the thought, a lingering frustration from the past. Nevertheless, the past could not be altered. The focus now should be on rectifying as much of the damage he had caused.

Fortunately, if the former human's assessment of the other involved parties was correct, then—

"They will either insist we surrender him, argue that his clan should discipline him, or they will compel Kael to act as dragon lord and deal with him immediately."

In essence, they would likely prioritize silencing him permanently, especially once they learned of Malrik's demise.

Riley exhaled softly. By this point, those individuals would have begun to panic over the unfolding situation.

"And when they perceive any delay as a threat, they will likely resort to manipulating public opinion."

"But who stated that they are the sole players in this game?"

"Riley, if they resort to that tactic, then—" Lady Cirila began.

"Mom, I believe it will be acceptable," Riley interjected gently. "The stronger their insistence, the more advantageous it will be for us. It will provide us with justification to involve them in the investigation."

His expression intensified.

"And should we delve deeper into the Nest and Malrik's dealings, I suspect we will uncover a connection linking them."

"Malrik?" Lady Cirila inquired, her brow furrowed. "Do you suspect his involvement in Orryn's disappearance?"

"I cannot be entirely certain, as I acknowledge the potential for my own bias," Riley confessed. "However, do you not find Malrik's allegedly coincidental entanglement in these events rather peculiar?"

While it was conceivable that the deranged reptilian might have had entirely different motives, Riley’s inherent skepticism led him to doubt Malrik’s involvement with the MBE was within legal bounds.

Indeed, the Chancellor’s targeting of the children had only been feasible due to their presence at the MBE while the infiltrators were within the Nest. Consequently, unless Malrik had orchestrated an unfathomably intricate scheme, the sole remaining explanation was that he was pursuing something—or someone—else entirely.

While the hydra was undeniably unhinged, maintaining such an elaborate deception for an extended period would require more than a single functioning brain cell, Riley surmised.

Then again, had it not been for the testimonies provided by the red dragon's subordinates, connecting these disparate threads would have been considerably more challenging.

Indeed, they had affirmed witnessing an assailant bearing a resemblance to the one who had injured Orien.

Thus, all prior conjecture suddenly gained significant credibility. What might have been dismissed as mere coincidence could no longer be ignored.

Given that the attendant had assaulted the red dragon at his personal residence, how could this incident not be linked to Malrik?

Riley's jaw tightened in response to Lady Cirila's question, as he too found the prospect of a negative answer unpalatable, yet it was the current reality.

"Not yet," he stated softly. "It's as though he simply vanished."

He diverted his gaze for a moment.

"Not yet, Mom. It was as if he evaporated from the scene. The sole reason we can confirm the presence of two assailants is due to the numerous eyewitness accounts, as well as Orien's firm assertion that it was the missing assailant, not Malrik, who inflicted the injury to his leg."

Lady Cirila's expression turned grave.

"But Riley... if that Chancellor is deceased, does that not imply the attendant might also be dead?"

Riley nodded slowly.

"...That is highly probable."

Thyrran's report had already indicated as much. The marked attendants at the Nest had perished along with Malrik, suggesting they were unable to escape the sigil's influence.

Still—

The very reason Riley lamented the attendant's demise, alongside Malrik, stemmed from the knowledge that an individual bound by such unwavering loyalty to their master could not have possibly abandoned them.

Both were present at the same location, and Riley had interacted with the Chancellor for a considerable duration. Yet, the attendant had failed to reveal himself even once after successfully wounding Orien.

The former mortal could only conceive of a few scenarios that might circumvent the sigil's customary directives...

He might have perished prior to Malrik's interrogation.